THE tiny body of sixmonthold Troy Simpson was found wrapped in a bin bag inside a sports holdall, a court heard.

THE tiny body of sixmonthold Troy Simpson was found wrapped in a bin bag inside a sports holdall, a court heard.

The grim details emerged as the father and grandmother of sixmonthold Troy Simpson, found dead in a drain, appeared before magistrates.

Theresa Ann Simpson and Sherwain McCoy Smith were remanded in custody at Birmingham Magistrates Court on charges of plotting to conceal Troy's body in a culvert in Smethwick.

A 17-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also remanded in custody on the same charge of perverting the course of justice.

Six-month-old Troy was found dead last Wednesday close to his home in The Uplands.

The charge against the three defendants alleges that they conspired together between February 6 and 8 to falsely report the disappearance of Troy, having concealed his body, with intent to pervert the course of justice.

Troy was discovered inside a blue sports bag and had been wrapped inside a bin bag.

Simpson, 47, of The Uplands, and 20-year-old Smith, of Arden Road, both Smethwick, spoke only to confirm their names, addresses and dates of birth during the three-hour hearing.

District Judge Lesley Mottram refused bail applications lodged on behalf of all three defendants.

They were ordered to appear again at Birmingham Crown Court on February 20. A postmortem on Troy's body, which was found in a culvert at Thimblemill brook, a short distance from Smith's home, proved inconclusive.

The boy was reported missing on Tuesday last week, prompting police to appeal to the public in the Smethwick area to search for him.

* Detectives last night returned to the scene to look for any witnesses to the crime, in particular anyone who saw someone carrying a blue sports bag.

Police have revisited the spot where the body of Troy was discovered. Uniformed and plain-clothed officers investigating the youngster's death were at the scene from 9pm yesterday until 2am today in a bid to gather more information.

Detectives are particularly keen to trace anyone who may have seen a man or woman carrying a blue JD Sport carrier bag in the area.

Anyone with information should contact the incident room at Smethwick police station on 0121 626 9148 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be provided anonymously.